The following article was published in Island Life and was written by Kelly Bragg.
Many people who visit Lowcountry beaches see signs and other indications that
our area is a Loggerhead turtle nesting site.
"Lights Out! Sea Turtles Dig The Dark" is one such sign that reminds us that
Loggerhead sea turtles need our help to survive.
From mid-May through early November, volunteers comb Lowcountry beaches
in search of loggerhead nests and hatchlings. These turtle patrol folks spend their
early mornings protecting our Loggerhead sea turtles.
Early July, 2001 saw another volunteer effort on behalf of our Loggerheads -
www.kiawahturtles.com, a web site created by Kiawah resident, Kelly Bragg.
She designed the site as a way to share information and photos of Loggerhead
sea turtles.
"I have been a member of the Kiawah Island Turtle Patrol for the past three
years," says Bragg, "and I have enjoyed it tremendously. This is my way of sharing
that experience with others."
When you access the site, the first thing you will see is a photo of a Loggerhead
nest, complete with baby Loggerheads scrambling to get out and head for the
ocean.
From there, an incredible amount of information and photographs are merely a
click away. The site includes a section called Turtle Patrol, which describes what
happens during nesting and hatching patrols, complete with pictures.
Further down in this section are Tales from Zone 5. As captain of Zone 5 on
Kiawah, Bragg has a weekly diary of what is going on with the turtles in that
section of beach.
There are also pages for Patrol News, local news articles about the Kiawah
Island Turtle Patrol, and Patrol Reports, links to the previous year's summary
report.
According to Bragg, her favorite part of the web site is the Turtle Pictures
section. It is divided into two parts: Baby Turtles and Mama Turtles.
There are little Loggerheads jostling each other to get out of their nest, mother
Loggerheads laying their eggs, and both rushing back to the ocean.
The Summer 2001 Update, which is updated weekly, provides details about
overall Loggerhead action on Kiawah. Here you will find information on the
number of nests on the beach. The Turtle Tracks section is a list of links to other
Loggerhead sea turtle sites.
Bragg, a former teacher, says that she wouldn't consider the web site complete
without some helpful information and resources for teachers.
The Loggerhead Lifecycle, Turtle FAQ, Conservation, and Education sections are
there to encourage use of the site in the classroom.
The Contacts portion of the site provides a way for visitors to email feedback
and comments about the site. It also includes a contact number for the lucky few
who observe a Loggerhead nesting on the beach at Kiawah.
Last, but certainly not least, there is a Guest Book. Bragg says that she really
enjoys what people think about the site and Loggerheads in general. So
please sign the book and tell her that you read about the site In Island Life!
This article was reproduced here with the permission of Island Life, LJC Communications. (August 2001, Volume 2, Issue 9)